I Miss Us
by lovrgrl5
Summary: Kurt and Blaine couldn't be happier in their comfortable lives at Dalton, their relationship deeper than most would consider acceptable for fifteen year olds. Their comfortable world shatters when Kurt has to transfer back to Mckinley. What will come of the duo through the rest of high school, especially when a familiar face pops into Kurt's Mckinley life in their Junior year? AU
1. Chapter 1

**Hey y'all! I'm really excited about this story! This is my WIP. If you know me, you know I am very nervous about WIPs, but full disclosure, I'm just sorta...okay with 'Friends or Lovers?' (my other new story that is being uploaded tonight as well), so I wanted to publish something I LOVE at the same time. That being said, don't shy away from FOL?, it's a good story, I'm just over the moon excited about this one. :) If you're returning, WELCOME BACK! If you're new, WELCOME! Usually I post my full formatting at the beginning of the story, but it's pretty straight forward so I'm leaving it out for now. If y'all have questions let me know via review or PM and I'll post my formatting in the A/N for Chapter 2. :) (the only one I feel the need to say is the 'grey line' is a perspective change between Kurt and Blaine and the four bolded 'X' is a time jump within perspective). Enjoy!**

* * *

Kurt was lost in the honey-hazel gaze of the boy seated next to him. They were in a staring contest that even blinking couldn't end. Kurt startled back at the loud banging of Wes' gavel at the head of the meeting.

"Kurt, Blaine, would you lovebirds care to mentally join us as well? We are discussing song choices for our final performance of the year at the Seniors' graduation. Though you both are only Freshmen, surely by the time you're Seniors you will appreciate this wonderful tradition." We said in his 'I have the gavel now' tone.

"Like you'd even know, Wes. You're only a Sophomore!" Nick countered from Blaine's other side.

Everyone in the Warblers laughed at the comment, except for Wes who simply slammed his gavel while calling for order.

"That may be so, but I'm still on the council and I know how important this is to our Seniors. Let's show them some respect," Wes said, glaring at Nick, "Now. It seems like we're **_all_** finished focusing for the day. I guess we'll have to have an extended rehearsal tomorrow to make up for our lack of focus today. Good day, gentlemen."

Everyone groaned, but packed up and ran out quickly before Wes could change his mind.

"Remind me to transfer before Wes **_actually_** becomes head of the council." Jeff said as he reached for Nick's hand.

"Definitely, that's a sight I'd **_really_** hate to see," Blaine laughed as he wound his arm around Kurt's waist.

Kurt couldn't help the involuntary smile that crept across his face as he leaned into his boyfriend's embrace.

The quartet made their way to the dorms and split up, Kurt and Blaine going to Kurt's room while Nick and Jeff headed to Nick's.

Once they had removed their blazers, ties and shoes, the duo sat shoulder to shoulder on Kurt's bed, laying out their textbooks. They chatted quietly as they studied for over an hour before Kurt's phone rang, making them both jump.

Kurt smiled when he read his father's name on the caller ID.

"Hey dad!" Kurt said enthusiastically.

"Hey, kiddo. Is this a bad time?"

Kurt couldn't help the confusion that spread through him at his father's serious tone.

"Um, no, I guess. Blaine's over and we are studying, but I can talk. What's going on?"

Burt sighed into the phone, "Tell Blaine I said hi, could you step somewhere where we can talk alone?"

"Yeah, one second." Kurt replied, even more confused than before, he turned to Blaine, "Dad says hi; I'm going to step on the balcony for a minute."

"Oh, hi Burt. Okay, I'll be right here when you're done." Blaine replied, followed by mouthing 'is everything okay?'

Kurt shrugged before opening the glass door that led to his room's balcony.

* * *

While he waited for Kurt to reenter the room, Blaine sat, leaning against Kurt's headboard with a smile on his face as he flipped through the photos on his phone.

He and Kurt had met on Kurt's first day at Dalton. He had been a midyear transfer after the bullying at his old school had escalated to a dangerous level. Blaine knew upon meeting Kurt on that staircase that he never wanted to spend a second apart from the boy. He was fascinating, and Blaine was beyond happy that Kurt had seen something in him as well. They began slowly, building a friendship over the first month until Blaine couldn't handle it anymore and asked Kurt out properly. They had been inseparable ever since. Blaine's mother had spoke with him about not getting too involved because he was "only fifteen, after all", but Blaine couldn't help how he felt. Kurt was amazing and he never wanted to let him go.

Just as Blaine was flipping through the photos from the previous weekend, where they had taken the bus to the local mall to see the newest romance film that Kurt had really wanted to see, Kurt came bursting back into the room. Blaine looked up abruptly and opened his arms just in time to have Kurt fall into his embrace, sobbing.

"Shh, shh, Kurt, it's okay. I'm here. It's okay." Blaine said into Kurt's hair as he rubbed his back in slow circles. Once Kurt's sobs slowed a little, Blaine kissed his forehead before speaking, "What happened on the phone?"

Kurt sniffled and buried his head deeper into Blaine's neck, "I-I'm not coming back to D-Dalton next year."

Blaine's heart broke into a million pieces, "**_What_**?"

Kurt took several deep breaths, attempting to calm down, "My dad can't afford the tuition. I have to go back to Mckinley. I **_can't_** go back there, Blaine. **I CAN'T**!"

Kurt fell into sobs once again; Blaine's own hot tears escaped his eyes. He cried for Kurt having to go back to the place that sent him to Dalton in the first place; he cried for the realization that he and Kurt would be two hours apart the following year; he cried because his heart hurt knowing Kurt was hurting.

**XXXX**

The following week passed in a blur. Blaine stayed by Kurt's side as much as possible. He helped Kurt study for finals and breezed through his own tests with ease. As the last day of school approached, Blaine's heart felt heavier and heavier. He had known the summer was going to be difficult with them living two hours apart and Kurt needing to help out in his dad's garage doing filing (because he was too young to actually do anything else, according to Burt). That knowledge had held a silver lining; they would be back at Dalton without borders in three months' time. That silver lining had vanished and Blaine had no idea how to find a new one to hold onto.

**XXXX**

The morning of the Seniors' graduation, Blaine helped Burt and Kurt pack up Kurt's belongings into the pickup truck that Burt drove. It had been a quiet affair, everyone realizing things were about to be much harder.

Their performance was flawless. Kurt and Blaine were given a duet, Blaine suspected it was out of pity for Kurt having to leave, but they made the most of it anyway.

Once their performance was over, Blaine and Kurt walked, hand-in-hand, out to the parking lot where Burt was waiting. Blaine could feel the tightness in his chest and the stinging in his eyes. He didn't even bother to fight the tears as the slid down his cheeks. They reached the curb just behind the pickup and turned to face one another.

"I'm going to miss this place," Kurt said, glancing around, his own tears sliding down his cheeks.

"It's going to miss you too. **_I'm_** going to miss you." Blaine said biting his lower lip, trying to get his emotions under control.

Kurt met Blaine's gaze again, "I'm going to miss you too, but we'll visit as much as we can and we'll talk and stuff, right?"

Blaine nodded, "I've figured out the bus route to Lima. We'll be okay."

He offered Kurt a smile, of which Kurt weakly returned. Blaine leaned forward and kissed Kurt as passionately as he dared with Burt sitting in the truck next to them. After a few moments, Kurt broke away as a sob escaped his throat.

"I have to go." He whispered and Blaine felt his heart breaking while simultaneously trying to beat out of his chest.

"I love you, Kurt."

Kurt wrapped Blaine tightly into his embrace and kissed his cheek, "I love you too, Blaine."

Blaine felt as though his whole world came crashing down as Kurt stepped away, meeting his gaze one last time before opening the truck's passenger door and sliding in.

"Bye, Blaine! Don't be a stranger!" Burt hollered as he started up the engine.

Blaine could only muster a weak wave as he watched the truck pull away, carrying his world with it.

* * *

As they drove towards Lima, Kurt couldn't stop the tears that cascaded down his cheeks. He had curled up into the fetal position as best he could in the seat the second Blaine went out of view. Burt had tried to comfort him with a hand on his shoulder and words about him and Blaine visiting each other, but Kurt knew better. He knew that he and Blaine would try and keep their relationship the same and stay together, but he also knew the reality of living two hours away. That reality alone would be tough for anyone, but they didn't even have driver's licenses and they both would be sick of the bus all too soon. Things would not be okay. He would fight though. For Blaine, he would fight.

**XXXX**

The first week was hard on Kurt. He had settled his things back into his old room and tried to stay as positive as he could around his dad. Kurt knew Burt would have done anything to have kept him at Dalton; it wasn't his fault that business wasn't paying out enough to pay the tuition any longer.

Kurt and Blaine talked every day for several hours on and off. Kurt had filed papers at the garage during the week days, starting only two days after returning home. He called Blaine during his lunch break rather than catching up with his father's old friends that Kurt had known his entire life.

Friday came and Kurt tried calling Blaine at his lunch break, he was surprised and a little upset when Blaine didn't pick up. They had never missed a lunchtime call. They had missed others but had called back immediately, but lunchtime was an **_always_** call for them, their own special time in the day. It had only been a four day thing, but in their minds it was **_their_** thing.

"Hi you've reached Blaine Anderson. Leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can."

**_'_****_Beep'._**

"Hey, Blaine. I'm just calling on my lunch break. I guess I'll talk to you tonight. I miss you. Love you. Call me back if you get this before my lunch is over. Okay."

Kurt hung up and began munching on his salad, trying to ignore the ache in his chest. _'__Come on, it's __**one**__ call. Everything will be fine.'_

The rest of the day dragged slowly for Kurt. Just as he was finishing up his filing for the day with five minutes before closing, the front door swung open, the **_'_****_ding'_** sounding loud in the room that only Kurt occupied.

"One second, I'll grab my father for you. You won't be able to get your car back until tomorrow since we're about to close, but he'd be happy to give you an estimate." Kurt said without turning around as he searched for the proper spot to alphabetically put 'Johnson**_, _**Samuel' in the 'Completed Paperwork' tab.

"Ah, well, I don't have a car so that's not really a problem."

Kurt spun around, forgetting the paper as it flitted out of his hand and towards the floor. He flew a hand to his mouth, choking back a sob as he met Blaine's gaze.

"**_Blaine_**." Kurt gasped before running around the desk and into Blaine's arms.

Just as quickly as Kurt had entered Blaine's embrace, he exited it, looking to the woman sitting in the waiting lounge for her oil change to be completed. He looked to Blaine apologetically but Blaine simply nodded his understanding. They were no longer in the safe confines of Dalton.

"How long are you here? Can you stay the night?" Kurt asked, quickly wiping at his tears of excitement of having Blaine standing in front of him.

Blaine's smile warmed Kurt's heart, "If that's okay with Burt, then yeah. My mom is waiting outside for the answer with my overnight bag."

"Oh my god, okay. Let me go ask really quickly." Kurt turned and ran without waiting for confirmation from Blaine, he found his dad leaning over an engine with a wrench in hand.

"Hey kiddo, is someone here for an estimate?" Burt said without looking up from his work.

"Uh, no. Blaine is here and wants to know if he can stay the night? His mom drove him down and is waiting outside."

Burt looked up, a look of sadness crossing his features before he put a smile on his face, "Sure, kiddo. He can stay in the guest room."

Kurt squealed and clapped his hands, "Thanks dad!" and Kurt was off and running again back to the front office. "He said yes!" Kurt said and it was Blaine's turn to clap his hands.

"Awesome, let me talk to my mom and get my bag, I'll be right back." Blaine said and walked to the door, but paused before he exited, turning to face Kurt once again, "Unless you want to come say hi? She wanted to see you again, but if you have to finish working it's okay."

Kurt smiled, "I have one paper to file, but I can lock up once she's gone. Go on, I'll be out in a second."

Blaine exited and Kurt squealed once again before returning to the filing cabinet to pick up the forgotten paper. He shut the drawer and turned to exit. He looked in the waiting lounge and saw the woman looking at him with disgust on her face. He swallowed and put on his best smile.

"Your car should be done in a few moments, ma'am. I saw Frank finishing up the paperwork in my visit to the floor."

She simply hummed her confirmation of hearing his statement; he shook his head and exited the building.

"**KURT**!" Mrs. Anderson shouted from the driver's seat of her convertable Ferrari, or her 'summertime car' as Blaine had once said with a roll of his eyes.

A wide smile crossed Kurt's features, "Hi Mrs. Anderson! It's **_so_** good to see you!" He said, his smile widening as Blaine leaned into him slightly, just enough to touch, but not enough to draw attention of passersby.

"You too, honey! Is your dad really okay with Blaine staying with you tonight?"

"Of course, he said Blaine was welcome to use our guest room." Kurt said with a nod.

"What a kind man he is. Well, I'll come back down to get Blaine tomorrow before dinner if that works for you boys?"

"Don't be silly, you drove him down here, we can drive him back. What time do you want Blaine home, Sheila?" Burt's voice sounded from the doorway behind the boys.

"Oh, hello Burt!" Mrs. Anderson called, "Whenever you want; he has a one a.m. curfew on weekends, so whenever you're ready to bring him back is okay with me."

Kurt met Blaine's gaze with a wide smile.

"Don't get your hopes up, Kurt." Burt said with a laugh, "We'll bring him back after dinner, then." He said to Mrs. Anderson.

She nodded, "Okay, you boys have fun."

"Bye mom." Blaine said with a wave.

"Bye, Mrs. Anderson, thanks for bringing him down." Kurt said, still giddy.

"Of course, hon." She said with a wink before putting on her sunglasses and zooming away.

Kurt and Blaine turned to walk into the shop again, the backs of their hands grazing as they walked.

"I can't believe you're here." Kurt said as he reached to open the door.

"I'm glad your dad's letting me stay. Sorry I didn't pick up my phone at lunchtime, I was convincing my mom to drive me here." Blaine said, his eyes brimming with happy tears.

Kurt smiled and his heart ached to wrap Blaine in his embrace and kiss him. _'__There'll be plenty of time for that at home.'_ Kurt thought as they walked past the counter where the woman was paying Frank for her oil change.

"It's okay. This is worth a missed call." Kurt said with a wink as he grabbed the keys to the shop to begin locking up.


	2. Chapter 2

That evening, Kurt and Blaine found themselves cuddled under a blanket watching 'West Side Story'. Burt had opted to go to his room early for some reading before bed, leaving them with explicit instructions that they were to sleep in separate rooms, with the threat that he'd be checking. Naturally, the duo decided to stay awake as long as possible. It was one a.m. when Tony died, both boys crying along with Maria's shouts of despair.

Once the ending titles ran, Kurt dropped his head to Blaine's shoulder with a sigh.

"I'm so happy to be sitting here with you. Thank you for coming to visit." Kurt said, nuzzling into Blaine's neck.

"Of course, I couldn't stand being away from you. I love you, Kurt." Blaine replied, his hand running up and down Kurt's arm.

Kurt looked up to Blaine's gaze, "I love you too."

Kurt leaned up and captured Blaine's lips with his own. The soft feeling of Blaine's lips with the firm pressure of passion made Kurt's head spin. He had missed kissing Blaine over the previous week. They kissed passionately for a long time, Kurt tried to ignore the aching feeling his hard cock was sending to his brain, begging for attention. They hadn't gone further than rutting against each other, fully clothed, until they reached climax. Kurt wasn't ready for more, though most boys of fifteen would have loved to have taken what they could. Blaine was more than understanding, of which Kurt was eternally grateful. Kurt moved to sit in a less strained position, keeping his lips attached to Blaine's, and accidently grazed his groin against Blaine's thigh. Blaine broke the kiss, breathing heavily.

"**_Kurt_**." He moaned into Kurt's ear as Kurt moved to straddle him. Kurt couldn't help but smile at the pure **_want_** laced in Blaine's broken voice.

"Is this okay?" Kurt breathed into Blaine's ear. He took the immediate connection of Blaine's mouth to his neck as a yes.

It was Blaine who made the first move, rutting his hips against Kurt's. Kurt sighed in relief against Blaine's lips at the friction. They moved together, kisses getting messier as they both neared their climax. Kurt lost it first, nearly screaming in ecstasy, but Blaine's mouth covered his own to keep from Burt hearing anything. Kurt heard the second Blaine hit his own climax, the moan of his name music to his hears.

Kurt collapsed on Blaine and they laid down on the couch, ignoring the sticky feeling in their pants as they held each other tightly.

**XXXX**

Kurt awoke quickly at the sound of running water. He sat up rapidly, waking Blaine in the process.

"'Was goin' on?" Blaine asked in a sleep thick voice.

"My dad is awake; we have to go to our own beds before he catches us." Kurt whispered.

Blaine groaned but stood anyway, walking with Kurt to where the stairs would separate them. Kurt smiled as he met Blaine's honey-hazel gaze, which was filled with pure love. He leaned in and captured one more kiss before letting go of Blaine's hand to go downstairs to his room in the basement.

* * *

The next day, Blaine couldn't keep the smile off of his face. He and Kurt went to the park and sat on a blanket, just enjoying the scenery for the better part of the afternoon. They had dinner, of which Blaine and Kurt had made together, singing and flirtatiously nudging each other throughout the process. After dinner, they convinced Burt to let them watch a movie before they brought Blaine home.

**XXXX**

Blaine turned to Kurt when they reached his porch and felt his heart breaking once again.

"I'm going to miss you." Blaine said, squeezing Kurt's hand.

"I'm going to miss you, too. I'll find a time to come visit you soon. I promise."

Blaine nodded, "And I'll try and get down to you again soon, also. We'll make it work."

Kurt smiled and Blaine stepped forward, arms encircling his boyfriend, holding him tight to his chest. They stood like that, just holding each other, for several minutes. Blaine eventually pulled back, but kept his arms around Kurt's waist.

"Call me when you get home, yeah?"

Kurt nodded, "Of course."

Kurt began to lean in and Blaine met him halfway, putting as much passion as he could into the kiss, not caring that Burt was in the car and probably watching, along with his own snoopy mother probably watching from the peephole in the door. When Kurt finally broke away, Blaine pulled him in for one last kiss, just a quick one, but one more to cap off their perfect day.

"I'll see you soon." Blaine said as he turned to unlock his front door.

"Definitely. Love you."

Blaine opened the door and turned to face Kurt once more, "Love you too."

Blaine stepped inside and turned to smile at Kurt once more before shutting the door.

**XXXX**

Reality hit the duo quickly after that visit. Blaine continued to try and be available to talk with Kurt as much as he could while still trying to maintain his friendships with the Warblers who were still in town for the summer. Kurt visited two weeks after Blaine visited him, and Blaine never found an available time to visit again. Every time he suggested going to Lima, Kurt was never available to have him. Whenever Kurt suggested visiting Westerville, Blaine already had plans with one of his friends. Calls came less frequently, conversations were cut short and by the time the beginning of August rolled around, they were barely speaking.

**XXXX**

"Kurt, what are we doing?" Blaine sighed one evening when he called Kurt; they hadn't spoken in nearly a week.

"What do you mean?"

"We barely talk anymore and we haven't seen each other in a month."

"We skyped last night, Blaine."

"You know what I mean."

Kurt sighed and Blaine could hear the wavering in his voice as he spoke, "I know. I just know that I love you, but it's so hard being away from you without easy means of getting to you. We barely make time for each other anymore, myself included. I just..." Kurt trailed off, leaving Blaine's eyes stinging as tears began to slide down his cheeks, his heart hollow.

"You just what?" Blaine sniffled, not caring that Kurt knew he was crying, this conversation earned the tears.

"I just feel like we're holding on by a thread and sometimes I feel like we're not even dating anymore, just some friends that keep in touch for holding onto what we have." Kurt said and Blaine heard the tears laced in his voice.

Blaine nodded, "What does that mean?" He knew full well what Kurt meant, he just needed to hear the words to put everything to rest.

"I...Blaine I really don't want to do this."

Blaine let out a small sob, "Me neither."

"I just...I don't see how this is working. This isn't how our relationship was, how our relationship is supposed to be." Kurt was barely understandable through the line.

"I know. It's not fair for either of us."

"No. It's not. I mean, it's not like I've got my eye on other guys..."

"Me neither."

"I just...I don't want us to feel like we are stuck. And I don't want us to end up hating each other. I love you too much for that."

"I love you too. Maybe someday, like when we can actually drive and visit each other without having to really plan a huge deal out of it, we can...talk about a relationship again. Right?"

"Of course. That would be great. I mean, it's only, what, four months for you and seven months for me until we turn sixteen and can possibly get our licenses and cars and stuff."

"Right."

"Okay. Um, we'll still stay friends though, right?"

Blaine's heart ripped out of his chest. "Yeah. Of course. I don't want to lose you. We'll stay friends and talk about... **_us_** again when it's more feasible."

"Yeah. That-That sounds good."

There was a burning silence and Blaine felt like his world was crashing around him and his tears wouldn't stop running down his cheeks. _'It's really over. How did I let this happen?'_

"Um, well I should probably go." Kurt said, his voice still barely understandable through his tears.

Blaine swallowed and sniffled, "Okay, I'll call you soon. Or you can call me. Whatever."

"Okay. Bye, Blaine."

"Bye."

Blaine set his phone on the mattress and stared in front of himself with unseeing eyes as the tears slid down his cheeks.

* * *

Reality hit the duo once again as the month and a half left of Summer passed and they spoke a total of twice. Kurt's heart was still broken and he had to drag himself to do anything, but he knew breaking up with Blaine was for the best. For Blaine, anyway. Kurt knew he was headed back to a living hell, but Blaine had options and a wonderful life to live and Kurt didn't want to hold him back. Time passed and Kurt felt the need to talk to Blaine every second of every day, but knew he didn't have that right any longer; so, he let time pass.

**XXXX**

The day finally arrived for Kurt to begin his Sophomore year back in his old hell. There were a million reasons why he was miserable here before, and one very specific reason. Burt had tried to get Kurt enrolled at North Lima High, but the district maintained that they were out of boundaries and therefore Kurt **_had_** to attend Mckinley.

Just as he pulled into a parking spot, his heart racing and his breathing rapid, his phone alerted him of a text message.

**_FROM BLAINE: Good luck today, let me know if you want to talk. The guys all miss you. _**

Kurt fought the urge to cry as he thought of everything he had left behind at Dalton.

**_TO BLAINE: Thanks. Tell everyone I say hi and my phone is always open if they want to talk. I'll try and say hi too, but you know how bad I am at keeping in touch. I hope you're doing well._**

The reply was almost instant.

**_FROM BLAINE: I miss you, but other than that I'm okay._**

Kurt closed his eyes and took a deep breath. _'Keep yourself together. You don't want to give them another reason to get under your skin.'_

**_TO BLAINE: I miss you too. I have to go so I can put my books in my locker._**

**_FROM BLAINE: Courage, Kurt. Courage._**

Kurt stepped out of his car and shouldered his bag. He peered around and shook his head as he realized just how little had changed in his absence. He walked forward and kept his head down, hoping to go unnoticed. He made it until the front door before someone noticed.

"Holy fuck, Hummel is back! What, did the **_fag_** **_school_** not want you either?"

Kurt flinched at the voice of Azimio floating towards him, but kept walking.

"Wait 'til Karofsky hears about this! It'll be like Christmas all over again!" Shane said with a high five to Azimio as Kurt walked directly past them.

Kurt tried to keep his panic at bay. _'They don't know anything. Don't freak out. They don't know how right they are or the meaning behind what they said. They don't know what Christmas or Christmas break has to do with anything. Breathe. Courage. Think of Blaine. Hold his hand. Hold his strength.'_

Kurt made it to his locker and took a deep breath. It was the same locker he had had the previous year because Figgins didn't move anyone around, he simply rotated so the Freshmen took over the Seniors' lockers, so Kurt's was the only vacant one left.

Kurt bit his lip as he reached for the lock and began to spin the all too familiar numbers. He tried unsuccessfully to ignore the dent that his shoulder and back had formed in the locker during his short stint the previous year.

He got his locker open and began unloading his books into the open space in front of him. He had been lucky to have missed the actual orientation where he would have had to have seen everyone before his first day. He had been able to pick up his bundle of books and his schedule from Miss. Pillsbury at the Lima Bean the day before.

He pinned up his schedule on his locker door directly under the largest dent. He carefully took out a picture of the Warblers and pinned it up on the right wall inside his locker. He planned it carefully before deciding to bring it in with him, pinning it on the door made easy access for people to pull it down, he would try and keep it hidden for as long as possible. He smiled at it, his eyes centered on where he and Blaine were wrapped in each other's arms next to Nick and Jeff, who were equally as wrapped up in one another.

He was snapped out of his revere when an all too familiar voice spoke behind him.

"So, the rumors **_are_** true. Kurt Hummel is back at Mckinley."

* * *

**A/N: I don't own Glee nor its characters. I hope y'all are enjoying the story! Thanks to everyone who followed/favorited the story! Please don't hesitate to review and/or ask questions! :)**


	3. Chapter 3

Kurt turned around slowly and plastered a smile on his face. He held back a cringe as he met eyes with Rachel Berry. She was standing in front of him with her awful horse sweater and knee length skirt on. _'God, you would have thought she'd have learned how to dress in my absence. Maybe she'll let me help her.'_

"Hi Rachel. Yes, unfortunately I'm back. How have you been?"

Kurt hadn't kept in touch with anyone once he left. When he had attended Mckinley the previous year, his only friends had been the Glee Club, and as much as he loved them, he didn't want their pity or attempted persuasion to come back.

"Great. I got all of the solos at the rest of our competitions last year, as I'm sure you remember from Regionals. You boys were amazing. I tried to talk to you that day, we all did, but you must not have heard us because you never turned around. We lost at Nationals, but at least we got to go. The club would love to have you back, I'm sure. We need your voice. Naturally you'd be singing backup to me again, but that's okay. Finn still refuses to acknowledge our stunning chemistry and is still prancing around with Quinn. Don't worry one day I will have him. Mark my words. **OH**! I almost forgot, we have-"

"Girl, give Kurt some breathing room." Mercedes said as she walked up to the duo. "Hey Kurt. I missed you."

Kurt smiled at Mercedes. She had been his best friend before the transfer. He leaned down and gave her a shy hug.

"I missed you too, 'Cedes."

"What classes are you taking?" Mercedes asked, holding out her schedule to compare.

Kurt examined her schedule and smiled, "We have English together first."

Mercedes smiled back warmly, "Do you want to walk together?"

Kurt nodded and turned to Rachel again, who looked like she had been kicked for all the pouting she was doing. "Let's catch up more later. It's good to see you, Rachel."

"You too, Kurt. I'm happy to have my best gay back." She said, pouncing on him with a too tight hug.

Once she let go, Kurt looped his arm through Mercedes' and turned towards their classroom.

"So who was that **_fine_** boy I saw you with at Regionals last year?" She said with a wink.

Kurt couldn't help but smile at the thought of Blaine. "That was Bl-"

Kurt yelped as he suddenly found himself thrown against a locker. The pain that shot through his shoulder and arm was worse than he remembered it being.

"Welcome back, fairy boy."

Kurt immediately began shaking and hyperventilating at the sound of Karofsky's voice. He looked up through his tear-filled vision to watch the blob of Karofsky's back walking away, pausing only to high five Azimio as he went.

"Kurt? Are you okay?" Mercedes asked, her voice laced with concern.

Kurt shook his head and tried to calm his breathing, "N-n-no."

* * *

Blaine barely made it through his classes. He almost had his phone taken away several times because he kept checking it in the middle of class to see if Kurt had tried to contact him. Thankfully, his 'Blaine Anderson Charm' worked on all of his teachers. His phone remained blank. After classes, he groaned as he remembered it was the first Warbler meeting of the year.

**_TO KURT: I hope your day has been alright. I know it has to be hard, but you're amazing. Don't forget that. Let me know how it went._**

He pocketed his phone and walked towards the conference room they used for Warbler practice. He smiled as he saw Nick and Jeff walking towards him.

"Hey guys." He said once they met outside the door.

"Hey Blaine. How's Kurt doing? It was his first day also, right?" Jeff said, his eyes filled with concern for his friend.

Blaine nodded, "Yeah, it was. I talked to him this morning to wish him luck, but he hasn't said anything since then. I actually just texted him to let me know how it went. I hope he's okay."

Blaine watched as his friends exchanged a sad look and sighed.

"I'm sure it was hell, but Kurt's strong. He'll be alright." Nick said and patted Blaine's shoulder.

They turned to walk into the room as Blaine spoke, "I hope so. I mean-"

"Excuse me." It wasn't a question, it was a demand.

Blaine, Nick and Jeff turned to face the owner of the voice. Blaine looked up at the tall boy before him. His hair was fashioned in a slightly off-center spike and his blue eyes stuck out under his dark eyebrows. The boy was attractive; Blaine couldn't begin to doubt that. His perma-smirk made Blaine want to know what was going on in his head.

"How can we help you?" Blaine asked, ever the gentleman.

"Is this where the Warblers auditions are held?"

All three boys' attitude seemed to lighten at that. Blaine felt the excitement running through his veins. He always felt that way at the news of a new addition to the team.

"Yeah, come on in. Are you a freshman?" Nick asked, eyeing the boy cautiously.

The boy snorted, "Really? Do I **_look_** like a freshman? I would let you figure it out, but my man vibes would out me sooner than you'd figure it out by yourself. I'm a junior. We just moved to town from Paris."

Blaine's eyebrows raised, _'__Why would someone move __**here**__ from __**Paris**__?' _The boy turned to Blaine and smiled what appeared to be a genuine smile. Blaine's stomach flipped flopped and he felt a blush dusting his cheeks.

"Well, practice is about to start. Just let Thad or Wes know you want to audition." Jeff said, pulling Nick inside the room, leaving the boy and Blaine alone in the hall for a moment.

"Well, aren't you just the sexiest thing I've seen all day. I'm Sebastian Smythe."

Blaine's cheeks burned as he held out his hand, "Blaine Anderson."

The boys shook hands and Blaine felt his hand tingling and warm, even after Sebastian pulled his hand away.

"Well, Blaine Anderson, are you going to escort me inside this room, or should I escort you back to my room instead?"

* * *

Kurt paced nervously outside of the choir room after school. They had a spare hour before the club started so people could get some coffee or food before rehearsal. In the past, Kurt always trekked out to the Lima Bean, which happened to be a popular chain coffee shop in Westerville as well, to get his caffeine fix, but he felt too nervous to try and stomach anything before facing his former friends. He had seen many of them throughout the day, Tina, Mike, Sam, Mercedes and Artie even asked him to sit with them at lunch, but going back to Glee Club was a bigger mountain to climb than a random sighting in the halls.

Suddenly, as Kurt was about to turn and repeat his pace for the millionth time, he found himself shoved against a locker, a solid body holding him in place. Kurt's eyes widened in fear as he realized Karofsky was the one holding him there.

"Listen **_fag_**, you haven't told anyone what happened last year did you?" Karofsky's horrid breath invaded Kurt's nostrils but he barely noticed over the proximity of the larger boy.

Kurt had told Blaine when he freaked out during one of their first heavier make-out sessions. They had taken a while to build to that, because Kurt was afraid after what Karofsky had done that he would never be able to be okay with someone being near him, let alone kissing him. They had barely kissed for the first month of dating, and slowly built to more once Kurt realized that Blaine was different. Blaine could be trusted. Blaine wouldn't hurt him. It was the first time he had felt Blaine's erection pressed against his thigh. They both had been caught up in the kiss, but the second Kurt felt it, he was thrown into a panic attack.

His mind had taken him back to the locker room on the last day of school before Christmas break. He had just finished changing after gym when Karofsky came barging in, walking straight to Kurt. Next thing he knew, Kurt was shoved against a locker and Karofsky's mouth was on his. A tongue was shoved into his mouth, lapping against his own. Then Karofsky had leaned his hips forward, grinding his erection against Kurt's thigh. Kurt had remained still, his entire being in shock, through the whole initial kiss, but once Karofsky started grinding on him, he yelped and tried to push Karofsky off of him. Karofsky had reached his hand down, starting to undo the top button of Kurt's pants. Kurt cried then, he didn't know what to do. He pushed and pushed, trying to get the jock away from him, but nothing worked. His button and zipper were undone; Karofsky was still grinding against him. Suddenly, a loud sound came from outside of the locker room; Karofsky jumped back for a moment before he crowded into Kurt again, his fiery gaze locked on Kurt's tear filled one. That's when the death threat came; the one that shook Kurt to his core. Everything that had happened in the previous moments faded, because he sincerely believed that Karofsky was capable of murder in that moment. Then, Kurt was alone.

Blaine had been furious and had wanted to call the police. He had wanted to bring justice to the guy who caused Kurt so much anguish. Blaine was even more furious that Kurt hadn't told his father; he had told Burt that the bullying had become too much and showed him the scars and bruises littering his torso, along with the stories of the slushie attacks. Burt had known Kurt wouldn't have complained if it weren't extremely serious and threatened to sue the school, but Kurt had just begged to transfer and let it be. Blaine pleaded with Kurt to tell someone, or let him tell someone, but Kurt refused, panicking more with every passing second. Blaine had eventually let it rest, not wanting to be someone who caused Kurt anxiety.

_'__Protect yourself and Blaine.'_

"No. I haven't told anyone." Kurt said, trying to keep his breathing even.

"Good. Keep it that way." Karofsky said before letting him go and stalking away with one last hate-filled glance over his shoulder.

* * *

**_TO KURT: Please just talk to me. Tell me you're alright, or not. I understand if you don't want to...talk, but please let me know you're okay. It's been a week. Please._**

**_TO KURT: Kurt, come on. This isn't funny. I'll take a bus out to Lima if I have to._**

**_TO KURT: The guys all say hi. Talk to me._**

**_TO KURT: Okay, I'm going to the bus then. I'll see you in a few hours._**

**_FROM KURT: I'm fine. Stay there._**

Blaine breathed a sigh of relief, though he knew Kurt was far from fine, he was just relieved to hear from him.

**_TO KURT: Do you want to talk about your day?_**

**_FROM KURT: No. Tell everyone I say hi. I'm going to bed, it's almost midnight. You should do the same._**

Blaine sighed. _'__Please, just talk to me.'_

**_TO KURT: Okay. Goodnight._**

His phone stayed silent for half an hour, when it went off again, Blaine pounced on it, hoping it was Kurt. He bit his lip when he saw the sender's name, butterflies floating in his stomach. He turned on his side and opened the text.

**_FROM SEBASTIAN: I didn't know you were good at building tents._**

**_TO SEBASTIAN: What are you talking about?_**

**_FROM SEBASTIAN: Well, I was just thinking about you and a tent sprung up in my sheets. Nice work, killer. Maybe you should come help me disassemble it._**

Blaine stared at his phone, his mouth instantly dry, his heart racing, and his cock growing hard.

**_TO SEBASTIAN: Nice try. Take care of it yourself. See you in rehearsal tomorrow._**

**_FROM SEBASTIAN: Take care of yourself, Blaine. See you._**

Blaine groaned, the text could have meant a simple 'take care' but he knew better than that. He had known Sebastian for a week, and everything out of his mouth seemed to be an innuendo. He was a very nice guy; he had his moments, anyway. He was also extremely talented and was a great addition to the Warblers. Blaine knew he had his work cut out for him if he had wanted to stay lead soloist the second Sebastian had opened his mouth for his audition. They had built a sort of friendship already where Sebastian would offer some form of sex and Blaine would get flustered and turn him down. Sebastian had joined the Warblers for post rehearsal coffee a few times and always sat next to Blaine, making comments and even attempting normal conversation for a few minutes. The more he got to know Sebastian, the more he got to like him.

Blaine took a deep breath and tried to calm his body because he most certainly would **_not_** jerk off because of something Sebastian had said; though it wouldn't be the first time. His phone went off again and though he was reluctant, Blaine opened the text.

**_FROM SEBASTIAN: Thanks, killer._**

**_TO SEBASTIAN: For...?_**

**_FROM SEBASTIAN: The amazing blow job you just gave me in my mind. I have a feeling you're a pro. You want to hear about it?_**

That was it. Blaine couldn't hold back any longer. As the texts flooded in, Blaine reached below his covers and slid down his pajama pants, taking his already leaking erection in one hand, his bottle of lube from his nightstand drawer in the other.

* * *

"Alright everybody! Settle down, I have in my hand our competition for Sectionals!" Mr. Schue said as he walked in the choir room on the first day of their third week of Glee Club.

They had already began discussing possible songs, Rachel pulling out the tears when Mr. Schue announced they'd be holding auditions for solos. They were all hoping to make it to Nationals again, if only to make up for their last place finish the year before. The competition was still a month and a half away, but they wanted to get a jump on their songs so they'd have no mistakes.

"Okay, Vocal Adrenaline, Our Voices Are Our Weapons, and the Warblers."

All eyes turned to Kurt, who sat stock still, unsure of which emotion was going to decide to settle in his system. _'__We're going against the Warblers. It was bound to happen eventually, but...now? __**Blaine**__.'_

Kurt bit his lip as tears welled in his eyes. He couldn't be sure if they were happy tears or ones of regret, but he refused to let them out in front of his friends.

* * *

"Vocal Adrenaline, Our Voices Are Our Weapons, and the New Directions."

Nick grabbed Blaine's hand as his eyes widened at the final team that flowed out of Wes' mouth. _'__**Kurt**__.'_

"Did you say Nude Erections?" Sebastian laughed, "What a name. Why aren't we on their team, huh Blaine?" Sebastian nudged him and Blaine attempted an eye roll but only ended up rolling his eyes to the ceiling. Sebastian leaned over and whispered, "Hey, are you okay?"

Blaine swallowed and nodded, "Y-yeah. Fine."

"Okay. We still on for dinner?"

_'__**Kurt**__! You're going to see him in a month and a half...but then not again for a long time. What's one dinner? __**Kurt**__.'_

"Yeah."

Sebastian nodded and leaned back to a normal sitting position. It was Nick's turn to lean to Blaine.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Blaine shook his head, "Didn't think so. It'll be okay. You get to see Kurt. Isn't that what you've been hoping for?"

Blaine took a shaky breath, "Yeah, but what happens when he doesn't want to see me like he didn't want to see his friends last year?"

"You know that was a different situation. He didn't leave here because he was being bullied; he left because he **_had_** to." Blaine nodded, "It'll be fine. Are you really going out with Sebastian again?"

Blaine sighed, "It's only our second date, Nick. Maybe it's a good thing."

Nick sighed in return, "Yeah. Maybe."

"**_Nick_**, **_Blaine_**, care to pay attention?" Wes' 'I have the gavel now' tone ringing in Blaine's ears.

"Sorry," they both muttered, Nick letting Blaine's hand go with a final squeeze.

* * *

**A/N: I don't own Glee nor its characters. I hope y'all are enjoying the story! Thanks for following/favoriting. Let me know what you thought! :)**


	4. Chapter 4

Blaine awoke on the morning of Sectionals with a giddy feeling in his stomach. He always got excited on competition mornings, especially ones where he had a solo. He and Sebastian both earned a solo for the competition, along with the duet, and Blaine couldn't begin to hide his pride, not only for himself, but for his boyfriend as well.

The feeling of giddiness didn't subside, even as he thought about the fact he'd be seeing Kurt for the first time in a long time at the competition. If anything, it added to the excitement. Any thoughts of Kurt flew from his mind when he opened the door to his room and saw Sebastian standing in the doorway, his usual sexified smirk on his face.

"Hey Blaine. Let's go kick some Erection ass." Sebastian said with a wink and his hand held out for Blaine to take.

Blaine simply rolled his eyes and took Sebastian's hand, forgetting his phone on his dresser.

**XXXX**

As they stood in the lobby of the performing arts building of Our Voices Are Our Weapons' school, of which Blaine didn't bother learning, Blaine saw Nick and Jeff looking around wildly. Blaine squeezed Sebastian's hand and smiled shyly at him before he let go and walked over to his friends.

"What are you doing?" Blaine asked, bewildered by their behavior.

Nick and Jeff both stopped and looked at Blaine like he had grown a third head.

"We're looking for Kurt. He's supposed to be here." Jeff said slowly, as though talking to a small child who needed a little extra help understanding things.

Blaine's heart beat wildly as he remembered about Kurt. He had thought to text him that morning, but never got around to it.

"Have you talked to him?" Nick asked, beginning to look around again.

Blaine shook his head, "The last time we talked was the day after we found out we were competing against them, and I got a reply saying 'nice, see you then'. I should find him though."

Blaine's stomach turned as he thought of seeing Kurt again. He was excited, but was also afraid of his feelings coming back to remind him of what he lost.

Blaine was startled from his stance when Sebastian's arms came around his waist. He leaned back into Sebastian's arms and smiled as Sebastian kissed his neck. He turned his head and got a proper kiss.

"Break a leg today, killer. Not that you need it of course." Sebastian mumbled against his lips.

Blaine smiled, "Mm, you too."

* * *

"Kurt? What's wrong?" Mercedes asked softly as Kurt stood with tears in his eyes as he looked to his old teammates.

Kurt watched as Blaine kissed another boy, a smile on his face and his eyes alight with something Kurt had seen directed at him many times. It was a look special to Blaine, something that didn't have a name to it, but made you feel special, like the world couldn't touch you.

Kurt swallowed and shook his head, "Nothing. Let's go get warmed up with the others."

As he followed Mercedes, he thought about all of the unanswered texts he had been sending Blaine all morning. He finally understood why they were unanswered. The hot flash of embarrassment mixed with jealousy flooded through Kurt and he took several deep breaths to try and control his emotions before entering the green room that Rachel had gotten for them to use.

**XXXX**

Kurt walked offstage with a smile on his face. They had been incredible and he knew it would come down to them and the Warblers as to who would win. The Warblers were performing right after them and Kurt tried to keep his eyes locked on Artie's wheels to make sure he didn't bump into him as he saw the blue blazers begin to pass them. He felt a tight grip on his arm and smiled at Rachel as she squealed her delight while they walked.

"Kurt?" Kurt turned at the familiar voice that drifted to him from the group of blazers.

"Hi Nick. Hi Jeff." Kurt got out just in time to be pulled into a tight hug from his old friends.

"We missed you! You did **_amazing_** out there. You should have had a solo, though." Jeff said once they stepped back.

"Thanks. Sorry I haven't been in touch. We should meet for coffee sometime." Kurt offered.

"Definitely." Nick replied enthusiastically, "Oh! We should grab Blaine; I know he was wanting to see you."

Kurt's heart stopped at the sound of Blaine's name. The image of Blaine wrapped up in the other boy's arms came to the front Kurt's mind.

"I-it's okay. He hasn't answered my texts today so I figure he doesn't want to see me, plus he's busy, and I don't want the pity 'oh, it's my ex, I should probably say hi', so just...tell him I say hi, I guess. How's Wes' power-tripping?" Kurt said, trying to ignore the confusion on the other boys' faces.

Jeff finally laughed, "Still power hungry as usual. Next year is-"

"**_Nick, Jeff_**! We need you boys onstage." Wes said as he strolled over, Kurt turned to offer a smile and Wes' eyes widened in a sort of happy surprise, "Oh, hello Kurt, great to see you. We will have to catch up soon because the lights are about to go down."

Kurt smiled, "Okay, good to see you, too, Wes." He turned to Nick and Jeff, both of whom looked sad to be walking away, "We'll do coffee. I promise. Text me or something."

He got trapped in one more hug from the duo before they followed Wes onstage.

Kurt turned and walked to the side entrance to the audience to join his friends.

* * *

Blaine was startled the second he got offstage by two sets of hands slapping his arms in a non-congratulatory way. He frowned as he turned around and saw Nick and Jeff's angry faces.

"**_What_**? What did I do?" Blaine questioned the duo, throwing his hands up in defense.

Both of them glared at him, and with a final slap from Jeff, Nick spoke, "Kurt told us he's been texting you all morning and you haven't texted back. What the fuck? I get that you're dating Sebastian and everything, but it's **_Kurt_**. **_Come on_**."

Blaine's brows furrowed in confusion, "What? He hasn't been texting me, I would have felt it." He patted his pockets as he spoke, trying to find his phone. _'__Oh.'_ "It must be back in my room, I left in a hurry this morning. Shit. I'll just go talk to him and explain. You guys saw him and didn't come get me? You **_know_** I want to see him." He saw the look passed between the duo, "What now?"

"I'm pretty sure he's seen you with Sebastian. Which is fine, but he doesn't want a pity hello, which I know you wouldn't be pitying him, but he'll see it that way. He's changed too; he's quieter and not very enthusiastic about anything. I think you'll only make him feel worse." Jeff said, looking to Nick, who nodded his confirmation.

Blaine's heart dropped, "But, it's **_Kurt_**. Like you said. I miss him so much and I really want to talk to him. And...hold him. **_Fuck_**. What am I doing?" Blaine shook his head as realization hit him square in the face. _'__I miss him. I need him back. I'm only trying to distract myself with Sebastian. I need Kurt.'_

Nick opened his mouth, but shut it immediately as two arms circled Blaine's waist.

"Why the long face, killer? We were unstoppable. Those judges don't even know what hit them." Sebastian purred in his ear.

Blaine closed his eyes and stepped out of Sebastian's embrace. He turned around and saw the hurt and question in Sebastian's eyes. _'__Don't do it today. It's not like Kurt will talk to you anyway. Don't ruin today for everyone.'_

"I'm okay. I just need to go to the bathroom. I'll be back."

Blaine walked to the hallway outside of the stage and took several deep breaths before the lights flickered signaling for the teams to get onstage for the judges' announcement. Blaine took one more deep breath and walked back inside before Wes hunted him down.

As Blaine lined up onstage, between Sebastian and Nick, he saw Kurt talking with a blonde girl and a latina girl. He did seem to be holding back, and he looked to be straining to speak loud enough for them to hear. Every few seconds he looked around with his hands wringing in front of him. Through this, though, Blaine saw his smile. Kurt's smile and his bright blue-green eyes alight with joy. He laughed at something the blonde said and shook his head slightly as he replied. _'__Don't ruin this for __**anyone**__. Let Kurt enjoy today.'_

* * *

"Okay, New Directions!" Mr. Schue yelled as he swooped into the room on the Monday following their Sectionals competition, everyone gave a cheer and Mr. Schue held up his hands with a smile on his face, "**_Now_**, just because we won at Sectionals doesn't mean we will win at Regionals. It was a close win; we only beat the Warblers by one point. That means we have **_a_** **_lot_** of work to do before February."

Kurt sank lower in his chair as Mr. Schue kept talking about what went well and what could be improved with their performance. His mind fell back to what had been plaguing it all weekend long; the image of Blaine happily wrapped in another boy's embrace.

Kurt hadn't really expected Blaine to hold out for them to turn sixteen, but it didn't hurt any less. Kurt had made a fool of himself all morning, sending messages of how excited he was to see Blaine and maybe talk about going out sometime soon if he had wanted. The silence was disheartening, but he had figured Blaine had been in a last minute rehearsal, not in another boy's embrace.

Blaine had tried to call Kurt over the weekend, but Kurt couldn't talk to him. He was scared he'd say something he'd regret. _'__Maybe I'll call him to say Happy Thanksgiving or Merry Christmas or Happy St. Patrick's Day or something. Or maybe not.'_

Kurt's phone vibrated in his pocket, he pulled it out without a thought towards what the rest of the club was doing.

**_FROM NICK: How about that coffee? We've talked the rest of the Warblers into joining us. We're willing to come down to Lima if you want, or you can come here and visit your old stomping grounds. When are you free?_**

_'__The rest of the Warblers? That means Blaine and his new boyfriend, the CW Meerkat. No thank you.'_

Kurt took a deep breath and put his phone back in his pocket, leaving the text unanswered.

"And that is why a friendly competition of mashups will do us some good. Have fun and be creative! Split into boys vs. girls. The winning team gets ice cream on me!"

Kurt rolled his eyes and walked over to the boy's side, knowing it was a losing battle trying to team with the girls.

* * *

Blaine shook his head at Nick, "I don't know, okay? I tried calling him over the weekend, but he wouldn't answer."

Nick sighed dramatically, "Well, we both have iPhones, I can see he read the message and he isn't talking to me either."

"Maybe it's because you told him the Warblers were coming. That should have been a surprise. He obviously doesn't want to see Blaine and his boyfriend-"

"**_Ex_**-boyfriend." Blaine cut in, receiving a glare from Jeff in the process.

"Regardless, he doesn't know you broke up with Sebastian and he doesn't want to see you snuggling up with him." Jeff finished, still glaring.

"Maybe you're right. Too late now. Maybe you should just text him and tell him you broke up with Sebastian?" Nick suggested.

Blaine shook his head, looking to his feet.

"Too desperate. We know Blaine is about playing it slow and smooth. Sometimes too slow and not at all smooth." Jeff countered, and after a moment of thought added, "Except with Sebastian. That was the wildest month you've ever had."

Blaine sighed, "With too many regrets. Whatever. I'm sorry, guys. Just tell him you two want to see him and maybe bring Trent, Wes, Thad and David as well. I know he enjoyed those guys, just don't bring the gavel." Nick and Jeff laughed and Blaine produced a smile, "I'll just try and get over him. **_Again_**."

Blaine stood and walked out of Nick's room, ignoring his friends' voices trying to get him to stay.

* * *

**A/N: I don't own Glee nor its characters. I hope y'all are enjoying the story! :) Thanks for the support!**


	5. Chapter 5

Kurt bit his lip as he studied his message one last time. It had been over a month since he last saw Blaine at Sectionals and he still wasn't **_really_** ready to talk to him. However, he couldn't ignore that it was Blaine's birthday. He wanted to send him a message that was caring but left little to no room for further discussion. He just couldn't.

Kurt sighed and hit send before walking towards the school building from the sanctuary of his car. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he plucked it out, sighing again when he saw it was from Blaine.

**_FROM BLAINE: Seriously? Just 'Happy Birthday Blaine, hope it's a good one'?_**

**_TO BLAINE: What did you expect me to say?_**

**_FROM BLAINE: I don't know. Something more personal I guess. Thanks for the sentiment though._**

Kurt willed away the tears that threatened to fall. He knew Blaine deserved better, but couldn't bring himself to do it.

**_FROM BLAINE: Can I call you tonight? I just want to talk. It's been too long. Please, Kurt._**

Kurt bit his lip as his chin quivered.

**_TO BLAINE: No. Enjoy your birthday. Tell the guys I said hi._**

Just as his phone buzzed again, Kurt found himself gasping as pain flooded the right side of his body; his phone fell to the floor with a 'thud'. He looked to Karofsky, who just glared right back as he high-fived Azimio as he walked away.

Kurt leaned back on the locker bank he had just shoulder checked, sliding to the floor. He reached for his phone and found it buzzing with Blaine's smiling photo lighting the screen. Kurt hit the 'ignore call' button and leaned his head back, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

* * *

Blaine walked out of Warbler practice with a heavy heart. It hadn't been a practice as much as a not-so-impromptu birthday party for him. Nick had asked whether or not Kurt had contacted him, so he had to relive the sadness that clouded his brain with Kurt's near silence. Nick had then called Kurt, immediately getting answered, only to be hung up on when he suggested talking to Blaine. Nick and Jeff had been to coffee with Kurt a couple times since Sectionals and had come back worried, but also respected Kurt's privacy by not telling Blaine a single thing they had discussed.

Blaine had had every intention of telling Kurt he'd broken up with Sebastian and wanted nothing more than to be with him again. The only trick was to get him to talk again. Now that he was sixteen, Blaine was excited to go home for once. Going home meant the Anderson tradition of getting a car once said Anderson received their license. Blaine was going home the next day to not only get his license, but also his car and a free pass to Lima. He could deal with his fighting parents for one weekend if it mean a million weekends with Kurt. It was time for desperate measures.

Blaine pulled out his phone, hoping to make one last-stich effort for the day.

**_TO KURT: Please call me. I have a lot to say, and it's my birthday, so...please._**

Blaine pocketed his phone, knowing it was helpless and turned to head to his dorm room.

"Hey killer. What's with the long face? Has no one given you your birthday blow job yet?" Sebastian's voice drifted towards Blaine from the doorway he had just occupied.

They had remained friendly after Blaine broke up with Sebastian. Blaine made sure to keep a certain distance because he knew he'd do things he'd regret, simply because he was a teenage boy with raging desires.

Blaine sighed and turned to Sebastian, walking backwards as he spoke, "Nope. It's alright though, I've got homework."

Blaine tried to ignore the smirk and lustful glint in Sebastian's eye, but he suddenly found his feet stopping.

"Well, we can't leave the birthday boy hanging, can we?" Sebastian walked forward, closing the distance between them in two strides.

Blaine's walls fell the second their lips met. _'__What's one more hook up? It's only Sebastian.'_

Several minutes later, Sebastian broke the kiss; Blaine shivered as his hot breath hit his ear, "So, what do you say killer?"

Blaine nodded, "Let's go to my room."

As they walked, Blaine pointedly ignored Jeff and Nick's shocked faces. He'd had enough emotions for one day, he didn't want to deal with their judgments.

**XXXX**

Blaine hummed happily as he drove on Saturday towards Lima. The previous day had been a success. Not only had he and Sebastian both agreed upon waking that it meant nothing and they could simply hook up without emotions, Blaine had gotten his license and his car. Everything was falling into place. Except Kurt. Kurt was the one person Blaine cared about more than anything, and he was willing to fight tooth and nail for him.

* * *

Kurt heard the doorbell ring and he looked to the driveway where he saw an unfamiliar BMW parked. Curiosity got the better of him and he walked to his door and opened it just as Burt opened the front door. Kurt listened closely, straining to hear who it was.

"Blaine, good to see you. Nice car. I take it you got your license?"

"Yeah, I did. It's good to see you too, Burt. Um. Is Kurt home?"

There was a heavy sigh, obviously his father.

"You know, Blaine. You're a good kid. I miss having you around-"

Kurt sighed, knowing his father was trying to find a polite way of turning Blaine away without lying to him. He stepped into the hall, took a deep breath and went halfway down the stairs.

"Dad? Is everything okay? There's a car I don't know in the driveway." Kurt said, his innocence sounding false, even to himself.

Burt stepped back, stopping midsentence, coming into Kurt's view.

"Yeah, kiddo. Everything's fine. Blaine's here. On the porch. Wanting to see you. Now." Burt said, shifting his eyes to the porch and back in an obvious push for Kurt to put him out of his misery.

Kurt sighed and walked down the final stairs, he turned and his breath caught at the sight of Blaine standing on the porch, a bouquet of red and yellow roses in his hand and a smile on his face, his puppy dog eyes pleading with Kurt.

"Hi Blaine. I'm sorry, I'm loaded with homework, but thanks for stopping by." Kurt said as he rushed forward to shut the door.

"No! Wait! **_Please_**!" Blaine said, his voice desperate. Kurt stopped the door halfway, the solid wood preventing him from seeing Blaine any longer, "Can we please talk, Kurt? **_Please_**?"

Kurt bit his lip, trying unsuccessfully to stop his tears, "No Blaine. Congrats on your license and your car, but please leave me alone. I'm glad you're happy."

"Kurt...are you okay? Please let me in. Talk to me." Blaine pleaded, his own voice thick with tears.

Kurt sniffled and straightened up, "I'm fine. Please leave."

Kurt shut the door and his heart broke into even more pieces; he hadn't thought it was possible, but apparently it was. He heard a 'thump', which was unmistakably Blaine sitting down on the porch outside the door, but Kurt ignored it and his father's worried expression and ran upstairs falling on his bed, trying to block the pain in his heart.

**XXXX**

The next morning, Kurt groaned when he awoke in the same position he had been in since he'd run from Blaine. He got ready for his day, donning his lazy Sunday clothes, and walked to the front door to get the newspaper. When he opened the door he was startled by the bright bouquet of flowers falling down onto the threshold.

Kurt sighed and bent over to pick them up, dusting the few snowflakes that had managed to get on them from the wind sending the snow under the canopy the night before. He noticed a note tucked in the middle of the bouquet. He plucked it out and opened it with shaking fingers.

**_Kurt_**

**_I'm sorry for just showing up like that. I just had to see you. I miss you like crazy. I hope someday you can find it in your heart to talk to me again. I have a lot to tell you. Please, Kurt. Please._**

**_XO, Blaine_**

Kurt bent over, grabbed the newspaper and walked back inside. He placed the flowers in a vase, because he couldn't think of a valid reason to let them go to waste, set them on the table and retreated upstairs to throw himself into homework, if only to keep his mind off of Blaine.

* * *

The following weeks passed slowly for Blaine. He tried to immerse himself in school and succeeded, until he was done with his homework. He tried to think of anything to try and get Kurt back. Seeing Kurt again only fueled his fire, though it broke his heart. Kurt wasn't Kurt any longer. He was more similar to the Kurt that arrived at Dalton than the boy who'd left. He also knew that he couldn't push Kurt too hard or it'd only push him away, so he resigned himself to a sort of silence with him. He impatiently waited for Kurt to make the next move.

Though the Warblers' competition season was over, it didn't stop them from rehearsing and throwing 'impromptu' performances. It was also a good way for Blaine to keep his mind occupied, and gave him an excuse to spend time with his friends.

On the last day of school before Winter Break, Blaine found himself laughing with Nick, Jeff, Trent and David as they walked out of practice. Wes had given the Warblers a challenge to serenade at least ten people over break and bring back those ten signatures 'or else'. The open ended sentence, of course, got everyone laughing as each boy threw out something that could be tacked on.

As they turned out of the room, Blaine felt a familiar grasp on his hand and he turned to face Sebastian, who leaned in to whisper in Blaine's ear.

"What do you say to one more fuck before we part for a couple weeks? I need more visions for my spank bank."

Blaine bit his lip and nodded, leading Sebastian towards his room.

**XXXX**

Blaine attempted to calm his breathing as he listened to his parents screaming. They had been doing nothing but ignore each other or scream at each other since he had arrived. Luckily he was headed back to Dalton in the morning and he could escape the torture of trying not to step between them while simultaneously trying to calm them down.

His phone buzzed on his nightstand and he grabbed it for the welcome distraction it was.

"Hello?"

"Hey Blaine," Jeff said excitedly, "I'm just checking in about tomorrow. Are you still okay to drive me back to Dalton?"

Blaine smiled, "Yeah, it'll be nice not having to ask my mom or taking the bus for once."

Jeff's laugh warmed Blaine's heart, "Yeah it will. Hey, I've been meaning to ask you about Sebastian." Blaine groaned and turned on his side, "No Blaine, honesty hour. What's the deal?"

Blaine sighed, "There's no deal. We just hook up every once and a while. Right before break was only the second time since we broke up. It's no big deal."

"No big deal? Who are you Blaine? What happened to sex being important in a **_relationship_**? Look, I get it. Once you lost your v-card and understood what people were going on about and you realized what you were missing; but, Blaine, I know you. This isn't you."

A single tear slid down Blaine's cheek, his loneliness cutting through him more than ever, "Maybe it is now."

"How would Kurt feel about that?" Jeff asked in a quiet tone, obviously sensing Blaine's inner turmoil. "Look, I'll let you stew on that. I'll see you tomorrow. One o'clock, right?"

Blaine sniffled and tried to calm his tears, "Yeah." He choked out.

Jeff sighed, "I love you Blaine, and I just miss you. Sebastian's changed you, not that it's bad, it's just different. It's like you're not the overconfident Blaine we know and love, you're just...you, with a twist."

Blaine felt his heart breaking as he realized how true it was. "I'm sorry Jeff. I'll try and figure it out."

"No need to apologize. I'm just trying to look out for you."

"Goodnight, see you tomorrow." Blaine choked out as more tears slid down his cheeks as guilt twisted in his stomach and his father's bellowing voice drifted into his ears.

* * *

**A/N: I don't own Glee nor its characters. IDK. I'm not too happy with how this story is turning out...I have a few more chapters written and the entire story planned out but as I'm reading it and editing and everything it's just not as good as I'd hoped. I'm going to keep writing it and posting and everything I just want to apologize that it's not up to par with my other works. *shrug* I hope y'all are enjoying anyway. Let me know what you thought. :)**


	6. Chapter 6

Kurt winced as he turned to look where his raised shirt exposed his side. The movement brought shooting pain up his ribs and the dark purple marks that already showed up from that morning caused Kurt to sigh. The three week break for Christmas Vacation had been a much needed break from his tormentors, but only made the return that much worse. It had only been a week, but somehow the jocks had piled three weeks' worth of pent up aggression into their attacks.

He fixed his shirt and exited the bathroom just in time to see his friends walk through the door. He took as deep of a breath as his injuries would allow with little pain and walked forward.

"**KURT**!" Jeff yelled as he ran forward, enveloping Kurt in a tight hug. Kurt yelped at the tightness on his ribs and Jeff jumped back immediately, "Kurt, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean-"

Kurt held up his hand, "No, Jeff, it's not you. My ribs are just...sore and the pressure hurt, but you didn't know." Kurt shrugged.

"Kurt. You need to tell someone." Jeff mumbled, looking him up and down, as though to search for blood stains.

Kurt shook his head and walked forward to the other Warblers.

"Hey Kurt!" Nick said as he gave a gentle hug, obviously having seen the exchange between Kurt and Jeff.

"I've missed you Nick. I hope you had a good break." Kurt said before moving on to greet Wes, David and Trent as well.

They all got their coffee orders and sat in a back corner of the Lima Bean where the comfy chairs were all circled up, rather than sitting at one of the actual tables. Kurt settled between Nick and Trent and took a sip of his mocha.

"So Kurt, how was **_your_** break?" Wes asked with a tilt of his head.

Kurt smiled at the familiarity of the movement, "It was fine. I spent most of it helping my dad at the garage. I saw the new sci-fi movie with the glee club one day. It wasn't bad." He said with a shrug. "What about you guys?"

They each listed off what they had done, though they all seemed to be dancing around a certain subject; Blaine. Wes informed Kurt of their successful show at the Winter Carnival over break and Kurt congratulated them.

It was Jeff that finally breached the barrier.

"But the best part of my break was driving back to school with Bl-I mean...uh, without my parents for once."

Kurt's heart pattered in his chest, reminding him of the last time he had seen Blaine and how he'd turned him away.

Kurt cleared his throat, "That's great Jeff. Uh, how's Blaine doing? Is he as hyper of a driver as I would expect?"

Everyone laughed, though mostly forced, before Jeff answered, "Once Katy Perry comes on the radio it's game over. He's okay though. He misses you, you know. I'm sure he'd like to join on one of these coffee outings sometime."

"**_Jeff_**." Nick said in a warning tone, putting a hand on his knee.

"Nick it's fine. I asked. He, uh, he came to visit me when he first got his car. I just...I'm sorry guys, but I can't see him. I still have feelings for him but I can't because he's got a boyfriend and I've never been a home wrecker, so..." Kurt drifted off, and looked up in time to see Wes nod to Nick. "What?"

Nick sighed, "We were going to wait to let Blaine tell you but he's been dragging his feet since just after Sectionals. He's been waiting for you to talk to him, but I told him this was the reason and he should clear the air without waiting for your approval but-"

"Nick, you're rambling. Let me do it." Wes cut him off, "Blaine and Sebastian are no longer dating. Blaine broke up with him after seeing you at Sectionals. He says he'd been stupid to date Sebastian. That he was lonely and missed you."

Kurt's stomach turned at the news, his heart grew and he bit his lip to try and hold back the smile that wanted to paint his face. His heart filled with hope. _'He's single? I've been wasting my time? I need to see him. Maybe these guys will let me ride back with them...'_

Jeff's snort brought Kurt back to reality, "Not that it stops Blaine from hooking up with Sebastian whenever the opportunity arises."

Kurt felt the whole world rock around him. All of the joy and hope that had filled him the moment prior left his body. The need to hold back the smile became the need to hold back tears.

"I-I'm sorry?" Kurt asked, turning to face Jeff straight on, the move **_daring_** any of the others to stop Jeff from clarifying.

Jeff swallowed and met Kurt's eye, dread filled his expression as he opened his mouth.

* * *

Blaine closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He tried to block out the entire world. He had finally gotten his friends to open up about their visit with Kurt two weeks prior. They had come back looking defeated and silent; both emotions that Warblers did **_not_** express lightly. Each of them had remained silent on the affair until Blaine cornered Jeff and it was game over. At first he'd been sort of relieved they'd told Kurt he and Sebastian had broken up, but the relief turned to fury when Jeff reluctantly told him about their discussion of Blaine's extracurricular time with Sebastian. He felt betrayed and suffocated; he had to get away.

That's how Blaine had found himself on his parents' porch that evening, hearing the screaming from inside and deciding that even with the fury built inside these walls, it was better than the pain that was at school; if only for the weekend.

Blaine turned to his side and tried once again to block out his father's screams and his mother's sobs. Though the thought of his parents' love turning into **_this_** scared Blaine, he knew he'd strive to never have that type of relationship. He knew that with someone like Kurt at his side he'd never have so much hate in his life. He certainly wouldn't stick around if it turned into even something of a shadow of the way his parents treated each other.

Blaine startled at the sound of glass shattering. He listened closely and sighed in relief that it seemed to have only hit the wall and not his mother. A single tear cascaded down his cheek and he knew there was only one voice he needed to hear. He had to make things right.

He reached for his phone and scrolled to Kurt's contact and pressed the 'call button'. He listened as the phone beeped to signal its ringing. When it went to voicemail, Blaine decided to leave a message. It was time to suck up his pride.

"Hey Kurt. It's, uh, it's Blaine." Blaine sniffled, trying to gather his emotions, "I just wanted to apologize for not telling you sooner about Sebastian. Either before Sectionals or once we broke up. I should have just come out with it sooner. I'm sorry. I know what the guys told you and I'm sure you don't think too highly of me at the moment, but **_please_** just give me a chance. I miss you like crazy and..." Blaine choked past a sob as another glass shattered against the downstairs wall, "Please just call me."

Blaine hit the 'end call' button and curled up in a ball, all of the day's emotions weighing down on him as his eyelids started to droop.

**XXXX**

Valentine's Day brought yet another Warblers rehearsal for the upcoming mixer with their sister school over the weekend. Wes had promised a short rehearsal so those with significant others could enjoy their evening. Blaine was in group A and was trying to perfect a double spin in opposite time as his neighbor, Thad. They kept bumping into each other, so they were only **_sort of_** holding up the group.

Sebastian, who was in group B, was in charge of manning group A's phones in case anyone called that needed immediate answering. He held up his hand, signaling that someone's phone was ringing.

"Yes Sebastian?" Wes said, his 'I have the gavel now' voice in full flair.

"Blaine, you're blowing up." Sebastian said, holding his phone out.

Blaine sighed, figuring it was his mother or something, "Just answer it and tell them I'm busy and will call them back. Otherwise they'll keep calling."

Sebastian nodded and Blaine went back to work with Thad.

* * *

"Blaine's phone this is Sebastian speaking."

Kurt's heart stopped in his chest. He'd finally convinced himself to call Blaine and try and talk it out and now...**_this_**?! _'The world is out to get me, I swear. Maybe it's not what you think. Brave. Just finish this out. If only for yourself. Karofsky already ruined your day, might as well add onto it.'_

"Um, hi Sebastian. I'm sorry to interrupt. My name is Kurt and I'm wondering if Blaine is around?"

"Ah, hello princess. Well, you see, **_killer_** over here is getting prepared to show off some of his **_sexy_** moves, if you know what I mean. Should I relay a message?" Kurt could hear the cocky smirk on the boy's face.

Kurt swallowed the lump in his throat, determined not to let this asshole get the better of him. "No. It's okay. Thanks for your time."

There was a light chuckle on the other end, "Thanks for your boy. Happy Valentine's Day. Or should I say, Happy Fuck Your Single Friend Because You're Single Also And He's A Great Fuck Day."

Kurt's throat closed and his heart pounded as the line disconnected.

* * *

Once rehearsal **_finally_** let out, Blaine pocketed his phone and headed out of the room, only to be stopped at the entrance by Sebastian.

"Hey killer, I'd hate for you to spend Valentine's Day alone. You got any plans?" Sebastian said in a low voice.

Blaine sighed, "No, Seb. I really just want to go back to my room and sleep. So, if you'll excuse me."

Sebastian caught his hand as he tried to step around him, "Well, if you haven't got anything going, and **_I_** don't have anything going, maybe we should get something going together."

Blaine extracted his hand from Sebastian's grip, "No, thanks. I really just want to shower and get some rest."

"It's only four-thirty."

Blaine met Sebastian's gaze and shook his head, "I don't care, Seb. I just want some sleep. I haven't been sleeping well and I'm finally tired."

Sebastian nodded, "Just- did I do something wrong? I mean, I thought everything was okay with us. That we could fuck and be okay."

Blaine felt his cheeks color at the bluntness of Sebastian's statement, "Everything's fine, Sebastian. I'm just not in the mood, okay?"

"Fine. See you around."

Sebastian walked away, swaying his hips for Blaine to see. Blaine shook his head and headed in the opposite direction; the fact that he had a call to return slipping his mind as he walked.

* * *

Kurt walked offstage and into the lobby of the theatre. He saw his father talking to Finn's mom and sighed. He walked over and patted Burt's arm. Burt turned and immediately tugged Kurt into a hug. Kurt suppressed the need to yelp in pain at the pressure against his injuries.

"I'm **_so_** proud of you, kiddo! Your solo was really great, son." Burt leaned back to meet Kurt's gaze, Kurt felt tears well in his eyes at his father's proud expression.

"Thanks dad." He choked out.

"Sweetie, you did amazing." Finn's mom said, reaching out and patting Kurt's shoulder. "I'm Carole Hudson, Finn's mom." She smiled brightly.

Kurt managed a smile back, "Nice to meet you. I'm Kurt. Finn's a really nice guy. He should be out in a minute; he was trying to calm Rachel down from Mr. Schuester not letting her keep the trophy."

Carole smiled knowingly, "Ah, yes. We hear a lot of Rachel's tangents in our house."

"Try being her friend. At least you can walk away."

"True. Ah! Here they come." She said as Finn and Rachel approached them.

"Hey mom. Sorry, Rach and I needed to get rid of some post-show talking." Finn said sheepishly as he hugged Carole.

"No worries, sweetheart. Rachel you sang beautifully as always." She said as she hugged Rachel as well.

"Well, not as good as Kurt." Rachel replied before turning to Kurt, "I can't believe you **_almost_** refused to sing a solo! We **_need_** your voice."

Kurt felt his cheeks warm, "Well, I sang it and that's all that matters." He turned back to Burt, "I think I'm going to head home."

Burt nodded, "Okay, kiddo." He turned to Finn and Rachel, "Congrats on the win, guys. Nice job." The nodded their thanks and Kurt watched as Burt turned to Carole, "It was great meeting you, maybe we'll see each other soon."

Carole's cheeks turned bright red, "Yeah. I'll have to bring in my car for my brakes."

"**YES PLEASE**!" Finn yelled, throwing his fists in the air in victory, "Those things drive me **_nuts_**."

Everyone laughed and Kurt slowly began walking away, letting them enjoy their good time.

* * *

Blaine stared at Burt in disbelief.

"Blaine, listen, Kurt's not up for visitors, okay? He made it very clear to me that he didn't want to see you right now and I can't go against my own son. You're a good kid, but whatever is bothering Kurt is something he needs to work out on his own. Please don't make me get angry, Blaine. I'm trying to take care of my kid."

Blaine sighed in resignation, "I think I know part of what could be bothering him. He called last week during one of the Warblers' rehearsals and my phone was in the care of another Warbler, one that Kurt doesn't know personally but knows **_about_** him, and well, I can't be held responsible for anything Sebastian said. I **_can_** however be held responsible in the fact that I forgot to check my call log after rehearsal and forgetting to call him back until today. When he wouldn't pick up I knew something was really wrong and I know I messed up. I should have checked sooner." Blaine looked to the single red rose held tight in his hand, he held it out to Burt, "Will you please give this to him and tell him I said congrats on the Regionals win and that I'm very sorry? **_ Please_**?"

Burt narrowed his eyes at Blaine and he felt like Burt was going to yell at him. He was surprised as Burt reached out and took the flower from him.

"I'll tell him, Blaine. Drive safe."

Blaine nodded, knowing he got the best he could, "Thanks, Burt."

He turned and walked down the driveway, the snow crunching under his feet. He heard a window slide shut and looked up in time to see the curtains on Kurt's window flutter. Blaine smiled as his heart pulled him back to the door, but his feet pulled him to his car. The tiny flutter of Kurt's curtains left Blaine with a new feeling of hope that maybe, **_maybe_** not all was lost.

* * *

**A/N: I don't own Glee nor its characters. Thanks to everyone who's supporting this story! I hope y'all are enjoying it. Don't forget to check out my newest story that I've began posting called 'Finding Yourself'. :) **


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